Harper Tire...A Blast From the Past

A couple of Fridays ago, after school, Isaac and I decided to take a bike ride. Ezra was at an after school movie, and Simon was safely strapped into the seat on the back of my bike. Isaac mentioned that his tires were flat and I said that mine were too so we would first head to the gas station to air them up, no big deal. WRONG! The airing up thingy was out of order. So, we headed farther (still walking the bikes because when we tried to ride them it felt like we were attempting to push a 3 story house with just the strength of our thighs) to the next gas station. As we pulled up, Isaac said "oh no!" as he read the sign on their airing up thingy which said "out of order". What in the world? Did the airing up thingys of the world get together and decide to take the day off???

At this point, I'm wondering if we should just push the bikes back home and call it a day. As I'm getting ready to suggest this, a great idea pops into my head...HARPER TIRE!!! They are probably really good at airing up tires, and I'm guessing their airing up thingy never takes a break! So, I tell Isaac my idea and we head in that direction. When we arrive, I ask a nice young man how much it will cost to air up our bike tires, and he says there will be no charge and he very kindly fills up our bike tires. I so appreciated his helpfulness, especially after our long journey to get there.

What I did not expect on this particular bike ride was a trip down memory lane. You see, my dad used to keep the books for Harpers. I think he worked there in the summers and maybe even during the school year (he was a high school math teacher), I can't remember. I have no idea if he worked for them for 2 years or 15 years; I just know that I spent a good bit of time there with him as a little girl. You know those moments when you see something from your past and it is just as it was then and it gives you a safe, warm fuzzy feeling? That's what happened to me as those tires were being aired up. It began when I saw the old water fountain, just as it looked so many years ago, except now it had tools sitting on top of it. I looked back and saw the old white refrigerator with the pull down handle...still there, still looking like it did when I was little. The tires seemed to be lined up in exactly the same pattern they were in so long ago. I began thinking of the times I would sit on the floor in front of one of the TVs and watch a movie. We didn't have a VCR at home (my mom didn't get one until after I was married!), so it was always a treat to push play on a VCR at Harpers'. Sometimes, they would have one of those pac man games (the ones that used to be in restaurants...you sat at them and put your hand under the plastic table top to play) in to be repaired and I got to play it. It was like heaven there!!!! I suppose the best part was the people...people who knew me and loved me and cared about my life...some of those special people aren't with us anymore, including my dad.

I'm thankful for the special gift of people in my life. What a surprise to be reminded of that today on what I thought was going to be a simple bike ride. I sure am glad those other two airing up thingys decided to take the day off so that I could be blessed with a blast from the past.

Putting On My Clothes and My Coat, Bowing to the King of My Heart

Colossians 3

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

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I want to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience each day like I put on clothes. I want my life to feel awkward without these things, just as awkward as I would feel walking out of my house without my clothes on. As a coat on top of these clothes, I want to put on love to hold them all on. I want the peace of Christ to rule in my heart, a king not to be dethroned by anyone or anything.

compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love, and peace...compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love, and peace...compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love, and peace...what a different world this would be if each of us who have been bought by Jesus' blood would put these on and bind them in and let them rule each day....compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love, and peace...compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love, and peace...

Vacationing With Friends

We are in the midst of planning a vacation with our friends Jonathan and Lesli for this summer. It is a trip we have talked about since before they were married, always saying, "we should sooo do that sometime!!". Well, sometime has arrived and we are headed to the beach together this summer as soon as school is out! Can I get a yahoo?!?

As I thought about this trip tonight, I could not help but look back at the trips we've taken with friends through the years. There are weekend jaunts here and there, but the three that stand out to me are the BelWoodBourn, the Cruise to the Bahamas, and St George Island 2010.

BelWoodBourn (named for the Beltzes, Woods, and Milbourns) wasthe first trip we really took as grown-ups, married, leaving our kid, etc. It was SO MUCH FUN. We arrived in Florida late at night, walked on the beach, then went to the Waffle House in the middle of the night JUST BECAUSE WE COULD!!! This trip deepened some really special friendships and taught us that time away from the kiddos with other adults is precious.

The Cruise to the Bahamas was with the Scotts, and it was SO RELAXING AND FUN!!! We did WHATEVER we wanted. It was so great to just lay by the pool, read until the sun went down, eat whenever we felt like it, laugh and talk, walk around, buy souvenirs. Our waiters treated us like kings and queens, never letting Tim or Sherri run out of Sweet N Low.

St George Island was just last summer with the Shipps and the Gobles. What a RELAXING way to spend a week, not having to be anywhere...just playing and loving and talking and playing some more and eating and talking and eating some more.

We are blessed with friendships that build us up, make us better than we were before. Thank you, sweet Father, for giving us these people who we don't deserve. Teach us to love them well. Oh, and help us have fun on the beach this summer with Jonathan and Lesli!!!!

Art Show

Isaac loves everything about art. He ALWAYS has a project (or 16) going in the house. When asked what he wants to do when he grows up, he will generally answer "be an art teacher". This winter, he took art lessons with our friend Amanda and had a blast doing it.

For one of his assignments he drew a portrait of Harry Potter from the cover of the book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I loved watching him agonize over the details, erase, re-draw, and erase again, attempting to reach the perfection that was in his brain as he looked at the drawing.

Tonight was the opening of the Children's Art Show at Gaslight Art Colony here in Marshall, and Isaac's drawing was in the art show. It was so fun for our family to go and celebrate one of Isaac's special gifts. Ezra said, "I'm proud of you Isaac". Simon mostly got mad because he couldn't play with the playing cards which were part of a 3-D design in the show, but it was still fun to have him there. The Harry Potter (as you can see) is to the right of Isaac. I don't know who did the flowers right above his head (oops...should've checked that out!!). The 2nd place winner (to the left of Isaac) was Isaac's friend Thomas (yay Thomas!!!).

I LOVE that Isaac played basketball at 3:00 this afternoon and went to his first art show at 7:30 tonight and was thrilled by both.

I'm just wondering...

If i completed half of a workout, but I also broke up 3 fights between the little two and one HUGE fight between the big two and helped build a fort and tripped over a 2 year old pretending to be a cheerleader and sent the oldest to his room for talking to me with a bad attitude REPEATEDLY all DURING the half of the workout I completed and then took out the Jillian Michaels DVD and put Diego on in desperation, does that mean that I actually get credit for the whole workout??

AND can I then go into the kitchen and grab this jar of cookies and lock myself in the bathroom and eat the whole jar and not have the calories count at all because of the stress I've just endured?

Yep, thought so.

More Now Than Ever

So, when I drove like a wild woman after my master's degree graduation to get to Tim who was at church camp and then we got this picture taken together (me with my super cool bib overalls on and Tim with his nappy hair and dark tan), I had no idea how much I would love this man. I thought I loved him then...and I did...but, oh, how I love him now.

Love grows, but not without effort. Love grows with hard work, giving up our own thing, saying sorry when it feels like we shouldn't have to, loving when the other is unlovable, doing loving things when we are feeling far from loving, speaking honestly, listening with a soft heart when we'd like to be defensive, yelling and then humbly apologizing, messing up royally and then admitting the screw-up.

Love is hard, but it is oh so worth it. I would not want to be on this journey with anyone else. I love him more now than ever!!

Just Do The Next Thing

This mom was feeling a little overwhelmed by life this afternoon. The house is bursting with dust bunnies and clean clothes and dirty clothes and little boys' toys and dirty dishes and small appliances needing wiped off and put away.

I found myself repeating in my mind "Just take care of each little space. Don't think about the other things to do until that little space is done." My sweet friend Brenda passed on this little nugget of wisdom which she learned from her grandma. It has saved me from myself many times. Rather than feeling paralyzed by the monster in front of me, I am choosing to take care of one little space. The good news is that those little spaces add up. The mudroom looks great now, and the kitchen isn't too far behind.

P.S. Do you like my new highlights?? A 1st grader told me this morning that I looked like I transformed into beautiful!! hahaha! Don't you just love those little boogers??